Interior Paint Tips: Paint Color Selection, Prep and Painting

Whether you're
painting one room or the entire inside of the house, expert advice helps make the
job go more smoothly. Follow these selection, prep and application tips
for the best possible results.

Use Paint Selection Tools

Paint companies now offer much more than just color cards and samples.
Three leading manufacturers each offer online tools to aid in the paint
selection process.

Sherwin-Williams offers the
Color Snap app and the
Color Visualizer. Color Snap allows you to take an image of a real-world color and match
it to one of the company's more than 1,500 paint colors. The app,
available for iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Android devices, will even
suggest a palette of colors that complement your desired hue and allow
you to share colors through email and social media. The company's
Color Visualizer lets you upload a photo or use one from its library to
try out colors in an actual setting.

The
Behr ColorSmart app for iPhone and iPad and the
Benjamin Moore Color Capture app for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad stack up well against the above tool,
with a Benjamin Moore version for Android available but lacking some of
the social media bells and whistles found in the Apple-friendly apps.

All of these tools help you make the most important choice for your painting
project: color. You want to love the colors that end up your walls, not
only because you will live with them but to avoid having to paint over
a bad choice.

Prep Properly

No matter how much you like the colors you choose, they won't be at
their best if poorly applied. Prepping the interior of a home proves much
easier than the exterior, which could require
pressure washing and paint removal. Inside, you can often simply prime and paint over existing paint.

Start by ensuring all surfaces are clean. Dirty walls may need a scrub-down,
but at the minimum remove all dust and cobwebs before tackling a room.
Apply drop cloths to protect surfaces not being painted, such as floors,
and furniture; tape drop cloths in place to avoid creating a safety hazard.
Finally, apply painter's tape to trim, windows and doorframes.

Only start the painting process once all of the above is done and you can
work efficiently and safely in the room.

Apply the Paint

When picking up your paint, ask the salesperson to recommend an appropriate
primer. A primer allows you to get the most from your paint in terms of
both appearance and coverage. Get advice on the best applicators while
you are there, as well.

Start by brushing on paint around taped areas, where rollers will not reach
without making a mess. Continue by choosing a corner and using a roller
to apply paint in a 3-foot-by-3-foot W, filling it in without lifting
your roller. Work your way around the room until done. Remove tape when
paint is wet. Once walls are completely dry, apply tape again to trim,
finishing the room by tackling all of the trim.

Ask Mr. Handyman for Help

You can use the above tips and go the DIY route, or at any point during
the process you can ask your
professional handyman for advice and direction. We can even tackle touch-up or a room or two for you.

In addition to having expertise you might lack, we also have all of the
equipment necessary for painting projects. It may make sense to assign
tasks to us instead of purchasing costly equipment you will not use regularly.
For example, exterior paint jobs typically require a power washer as well
as a sprayer if using that application technique proves best.

We also take on the more physically challenging aspects of the job. Many
of our customers do not feel comfortable working on tall ladders, whether
inside or outside, or they simply do not have the strength and endurance
required to paint multiple rooms using extension rollers to reach the
highest parts of walls and ceilings. Simply give us a call and we can
tell you how we can help.

View our guide to
home painting , for more painting tips on Interior, Exterior, Decks and Fences

Mr. Handyman can maintain your home to save you money. One call really does take care
of everything on your to-do list. Make sure to stay on top of all your
household repairs, improvements and maintenance needs and
request service now online.